CHAPTER 567: THEY REUNITE

As the superiors departed through their private exit, the hall’s lighting brightened once more, flooding the space with a warm glow that signaled the official end of the assembly. A wave of chatter rose immediately, and students began filing out in groups, drifting toward the exits like currents in a restless tide.

Even among the bustle, a noticeable number of eyes turned toward Liam. Whispered murmurs darted from one cluster of students to another, some subtle, others not so much. Liam ignored them effortlessly as he rose from his seat, brushing off the attention as though it were a breeze brushing past.

"Damn, dude," Dylan remarked, standing as well with his usual incredulous grin. "You’re really famous now. And everyone—and I mean everyone—knows who you are, even though you had zero plans to spill your identity."

"Yeah, I guess," Liam replied, voice steady, smooth, and unbothered. He refused to let even the slightest hint slip that he had anticipated all of this long before it happened. "I’ll just have to bear with it."

"Mhm," Dylan hummed, tilting his head pointedly toward another section of the hall. "You definitely will. Especially with those upperclassmen practically drilling holes into you with their eyes."

Liam followed the gesture with a slight turn of his head. Across the hall, several second- and third-year students stood clustered together, evaluating him with a mix of curiosity, caution, and interest. Liam returned their stares with a blank, unreadable look—cold, flat, and unengaged—before turning away and stepping out of the row.

"I genuinely have zero time for pointless nonsense," he muttered under his breath.

"What the hell are those dweebs staring at?" Asher growled, tone sharp and full of irritation as he caught a few of the seniors glancing in their direction. "Do they wanna start something? They can come get it." His voice rose enough for the upperclassmen to hear clearly.

"Easy there, tiger," Dylan said, placing a hand on Asher’s shoulder before things escalated. "It’s literally the first day back. Probably not ideal to start a fight with people who’ve been here longer than we’ve been breathing academy air, just because they looked at you funny."

Asher shot him a look—confused, surprised, almost suspicious. The idea of Dylan making sense seemed to personally offend him. After another reluctant glance toward the upperclassmen, he shrugged Dylan’s hand off with a sharp motion and followed behind Liam, weaving his way out of the aisle.

"Atta boy," Dylan said brightly as he trailed after them. "Who knew our hotheaded buddy actually listens to logic? Color me impressed, Asher boy."

"Shut up before I burn you to a crisp, clown," Asher snapped without turning around.

"And there he goes again," Dylan sighed dramatically. "Man, you really gotta fix that temper. It’s rough."

Asher was ready to bark back when a familiar voice rose from off to the side, catching all three of their attention just as they stepped into the open space near the hall’s doors.

"You guys sure are chaotic as ever, ain’t ya?"

They turned to see Max—dark hair, dark eyes, calm smile—standing casually with his hands in his pockets. Beside him stood Sheila, Charlotte, and Ariana, each one familiar in their own distinct way.

"Maxwell!!" Dylan exclaimed, immediately lighting up. "And Ari, Charlotte, and our dearest princess! How’re you all doing?" He bounced forward like he’d been waiting all day to greet them.

"We are doing well, Dylan," Sheila replied gracefully on behalf of the group. "And you seem to be doing just fine yourself."

"Oh, you bet I am," Dylan said, puffing out his chest a little. Then his gaze shifted to Sheila’s hair, which had grown noticeably longer since they’d last seen one another. "Wow, your hair looks absolutely majestic right now. I’m actually offended by how good it looks. Truly jealous."

Sheila’s cheeks colored slightly, a subtle blush she couldn’t hide.

"And you too, Ariana," Dylan continued as he turned toward the auburn-haired girl. Ariana looked almost exactly the same—bright green eyes, soft curls, and an aura so gentle it could soften thunder—but there was something undeniably fresh about her. "You look mostly the same... but also different. Your skin is glowing. Like, actually glowing. Don’t tell me you went and found yourself a boyfriend?~" he teased.

Ariana’s face turned bright pink immediately. She lowered her gaze and adjusted her glasses, flustered. "No, I—I haven’t," she said quickly.

"You say that," Dylan teased, wagging a finger exaggeratedly, "but you absolutely look like you do. Still, I trust you~." He finished with a warm smile.

Before he could deliver another playful jab, something blurred past him with startling speed—forcing him to stumble sideways and crash into Max.

It was Charlotte.

She sprinted forward like a launched arrow, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she leapt through the air with both arms outstretched, aiming to wrap them tightly around Liam.

"BABEEE~~~!" she squealed mid-flight.

Liam’s eyes widened slightly at the incoming attack. And in the very last instant—barely a heartbeat before collision—he sidestepped smoothly, letting Charlotte’s momentum carry her straight past him.

She crashed directly into Asher instead.

Asher barely had time to register her scream before she slammed into him, knocking the breath out of him and sending him staggering backward with a jolt of pure shock.

Ariana hurried toward the collapsed pair, her steps light yet filled with worry, and her hands hovered uncertainly as if afraid to touch either of them too suddenly. "Are you two alright?" she asked, her voice soft but threaded with genuine concern.

Charlotte lifted her head first, blinking as dust clung to her lashes. "Yeah~, just a little dusty," she answered cheerfully, brushing her hair back with a sweet smile as she began pushing herself upright.

Asher, however, was in no mood to be courteous. "I’m not, dammit," he snapped, his voice sharp enough to cut through the air. His hands shoved uselessly against Charlotte’s waist. "And get off me, you damn overgrown cat."

Charlotte only tilted her head, still sprawled comfortably across him as if he were a couch rather than a person. "Relax, cutie," she purred in her flirty drawl. "I know you want this anyway."

The blank, irritated stare he gave her could have frozen a wildfire. "I swear," he growled, "if you don’t get off me this second, I’ll make sure you never forget this day."

"Mmm~ feisty as always," she hummed with a grin. At last she pushed herself fluidly to her feet, stretching like a feline waking from a nap. "Well, I’m not here for you anyway." She dusted herself off, then turned immediately toward Liam, who stood a few paces away watching her with his usual unreadable expression.

"Babe~," she crooned as she stepped toward him, but Liam lifted a hand—calm, dismissive, creating an invisible boundary she knew better than to cross.

"Please stop," he said evenly. "I’m not really in the mood for physical touch right now."

Charlotte halted mid-step, her smile remaining but dimming at the edges. Still, she drifted closer until she lingered just within his personal space, close enough to feel his presence but careful not to touch. "You know," she whispered with a pouty lilt, "I’ve really missed you these past months. Especially when you suddenly vanished from the academy without a word."

Liam took a small step back, but she mirrored it just as smoothly, as though proximity alone was her victory.

"Yeah, Liam," Max finally chimed in as he dusted off his shirt and stood upright beside Dylan. "You had us worried. Especially the girls."

"That’s what I said," Dylan added, giving Max a playful elbow jab.

Sheila and Ariana, caught off guard by the implication, both flushed in quiet embarrassment before schooling their expressions into something more composed.

"I know," Liam replied, his tone calmer than his eyes. "I apologize for that."

The sincerity in his voice almost physically nudged everyone backward; it was such an unexpected sound coming from him that even Dylan blinked in disbelief. Only Asher and Charlotte took it in stride, as if they had seen enough of Liam’s rare softer moments not to be surprised.

"Wow," Max muttered. "Didn’t expect that from you. No offense."

"None taken," Liam answered simply.

"I’m just saying, Maxie," Dylan cut in dramatically, eyeing Liam as though trying to solve a puzzle. "Our boy here seems to have shifted a bit during the last six months. He even said he planned to tell us about his lineage. Isn’t that wild?"

"Wait—really?" Max said, eyes widening.

"Don’t make it sound like I know everything about myself," Liam replied, flicking a look at Dylan. "I was just going to tell you the truth behind the rumors you’d been hearing. That’s all."

"That still means something, Liam," Sheila said softly, her voice carrying warmth and memory as her thoughts briefly returned to that morning in the Crescent Kingdom weeks ago.

"She’s right," Ariana added, her voice tinged with courage she normally hid. "I... actually have a few questions I’ve been wanting to ask for a while, but I didn’t know how. I guess now I can, right?"

Liam met her gaze, then nodded. "Yeah. It’s only fair you get that privilege. You were the first ones to know what I was, and you kept it a secret."

At that, Sheila, Ariana, Dylan, and even Asher felt something settle warm and heavy in their chests—recognition, pride, and appreciation. It wasn’t often Liam acknowledged anything emotional, and the weight of his words lingered.

"Wait—what?" Max blurted, looking dumbstruck. "I didn’t know that. I only heard the rumors, and today was the confirmation."

"Same here," Charlotte pouted. "I feel betrayed."

"It still shocks me how you two never noticed," Dylan sighed dramatically. "Tsk tsk. Shameful."

Sheila laughed softly, and Ariana joined her with a shy smile. "I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t my place," Sheila explained gently. "It was Liam’s secret, not mine."

"Same for me," Ariana echoed.

Max and Charlotte turned their attention back to Liam with expressions caught somewhere between sulky and wounded.

"I was planning to tell you both," Liam said evenly. "Eventually."

As the two continued staring at him like abandoned puppies, Asher released a long-suffering groan. "Can we go somewhere else for all this talking? Standing here is getting on my nerves."

"We can use my dorm," Sheila offered almost immediately. "It’s spacious enough for all of us."

Dylan’s eyes lit up like festival lanterns. "Yes! A royal dorm tour! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" He bounded ahead without waiting for confirmation. "Come on! Move, move, move!"

With Dylan already leading the way as if he owned the place, the rest exchanged glances and naturally fell into step, following the trail toward Sheila’s dormitory, their conversation continuing in scattered murmurs as they left the hall behind.