Chapter 5 - Since When Was Being Expelled a Death Flag?

The door looks plain enough—dark wood, iron handle, nothing to set it apart from the dozens I’ve already passed. Still, my stomach twists into knots. I take a deep breath before giving it one hard knock.

The hinges groan, and the door swings open by itself, revealing nothing but darkness on the other side.

I force a breath into my lungs, square my shoulders, and step inside.

The moment my heels click against the tiled floor, a crushing weight slams down on me. My knees buckle, breath hitching as though invisible hands are squeezing the air from my chest. Each step feels like I’m wading through quicksand, every inch heavier than the last.

The hair on my arms prickles as dread seeps through me. A sudden warning shoots through my head, and instincts take over. I fling my mana outward, shaping it into a translucent shield in front of me just as a bolt of blue tears across the darkness.

The impact is like being hit with a battering ram. My shield groans and flickers, light cracks appearing in it, splintering as it struggles to hold on. I pump every drop of mana available to me into it, begging that it just holds out. Sweat beads and slides down my cheek, my arms trembling from the effort and my breath turns ragged.

Then, silence. The light disappears as the pressure bearing down on me simply vanishes, and I stagger forward, catching myself before I faceplant. I let the shield disappear and straighten my spine, hiding my trembling hands behind my back, as I stand tall and hope to give off the impression that the attack didn’t faze me in the slightest. Like hell I’ll let whoever’s in this damn room see me break.

A sound echoes around me. Applause, a slow and deliberate clap.

Light surges to life, stabbing my eyes. I squint against the glare until shapes sharpen into focus: a chamber dressed like a courtroom, complete with vaulted ceiling and stone pillars. People line both sides, all dressed in the same deep blue robes and drooping hats that the professor who had summoned me here wore. My skin prickles as I feel all the hatred and disdain their gazes hold.

My chest tightens as a memory surges, and the sound of the gavel slamming down brings me back to ‘that’ moment, the moment my world crashed down around me.

The final words I heard as Riley Silvers echoes in my mind:

“Riley Silvers, you have been found guilty of the murder of Dr Trevor Silvers and the disappearance of Mira Silvers. You are hereby stripped of your possessions, your rights, and your name, and now belong to VirtuNet as v.0429.”

The memory claws at me. My throat tightens, and my eyes sting.

No. I dig my nails into my palms. They will not see me cry. I’m not Riley anymore. They put me into a villainess, and villainesses don’t cry.

My gaze snaps forward. At the end of the room is a stone platform that hovers at least five feet above ground. Upon it stands an old man in black robes, long silver hair spilling over his shoulders, his mouth hidden by his long beard. His piercing blue eyes bore into me, dissecting me like I’m an insect under glass.

I twist my lips into a smirk. “So, this is how you greet your students?”

“Silence.” His voice rolls through the chamber like thunder, rattling my bones. “Do you know why I summoned you here?”

I arch a brow. “Do you want me silent or not? Because you can’t have it both ways.”

He doesn’t so much as twitch. Just stares down at me with those unblinking, icy eyes.

I sigh, exaggerated and loud. “I’m guessing this is about how I said hello at the ball last night.”

“That is enough,” he booms, clearly unamused. “You are hereby put on warning for your behaviour.”

I fold my arms. “Which behaviour, exactly? The part where I defended myself, or the part where I taught someone a lesson for dumping a glass of punch on me?”

The Headmaster’s eyes narrow. “Using underhanded tactics in a duel. Disrespecting His Highness, Crown Prince Adrian. These are just a couple of complaints I have received about last night.”

“Underhanded tactics?” I bark out a laugh. “Did you expect me to do nothing when my opponent was trying to kill me?”

“Silence.” His voice crashes down like a hammer. “You are not allowed to say another word.”

My throat seizes. I open my mouth and try to force any words over my tongue, but nothing comes out. No word. Now sound. My voice is gone.

I glare up at him, folding my arms tighter, and give him my fiercest smirk. If he thinks stealing my voice will make me bow, he’s sorely mistaken.

“This is your first warning,” the Headmaster declares. “You have two more. At your third, you will no longer be welcome here at the academy.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. That doesn’t sound too bad. So, if I misbehave, then I’ll just be free to explore the world. Almost tempting—

Until his next words slam into me like I’m being drowned in an icy lake.

“At that point, you will become the Academy’s property. Your father has given permission to reclaim your tuition and debts through your sale into slavery. Perhaps it would be in your best interest not to make too many enemies, as they might just own your life one day.”

My stomach drops.

Slavery? What the hell was this script? My eyes widen despite myself, shock breaking through the mask. Why the hell would getting kicked out of the Academy lead to a death flag? That’s just freaking fantastic.

“That is all. Everyone is dismissed.”

The professors vanish in wisps of smoke, leaving only me and the old man alone.

I feel the spell sealing my voice break, and I can’t hold myself back any longer. “What the hell was that?” I shout. “You don’t get to one-sidedly—”

“You don’t like the judgment?” His voice cuts through mine.

“Of course not,” I snap. “If I’d known it would lead to this, I wouldn’t have held my dagger back when I did.”

A deep laugh rumbles through the room, genuine amusement breaking through for the first time. “Then you might have been executed on the spot.”

My skin prickles. He’s not joking.”

“So what? You expect me to play the good little dog and grovel for forgiveness?”

“If that is how you interpret my warning.”

I let my lips curl again. “Sorry, old man. That’s just not my style. I’ll do what I want.”

He studies me, then laughs again, a sound that echoes through the room. But when it fades, his expression turns cold and serious. “You may do as you wish, girl. But step wrongly again, and you will be closer to forfeiting your life. And remember, it is Headmaster Desmond to you.”

I bow with an exaggerated curtsey, holding my skirt out to either side. “Of course, Headmaster Desmond. As you wish.”

I spin and sweep from the room, head high, steps ringing against the marble floor. The doors slam behind me with a theatrical flair. I guess that’s how to use Dramatic Exit properly. I almost let out a laugh, but it’s only when I let go of all the tension I’ve been holding that my legs try to give out from under me.

I sag against the wall, legs shaking, breath catching in my chest. But I force myself not to crumble.

So, they want me to play on hard mode? Fine, I’ll show them exactly how I play this game. I’ll give them a villainess who thrives, and one who survives.