I Killed The Main Characters

Chapter 49: Preparations For The Placement Exams [1]

The student council room was unusually quiet today, a stark contrast to the usual flurry of activity.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting soft shadows on the polished wooden floor.

Amy, the head of the student council, sat at the end of the long table, her arms crossed in thought.

Xander and Rylan sat on either side of the table, while Ariana was perched near the window, enjoying a chocolate ice pop, much to the bewilderment of the others.

Amy broke the silence first.

"So, let's get down to business," she said, her voice steady.

"There are a few things we need to address today, but the most urgent is the matter of the students affected by that unknown energy."

Xander leaned back in his chair, nodding.

"Yeah, it's been getting worse.

A lot of people have been reporting strange behavior.

Their magic feels off, almost corrupted."

Rylan, who had been silent for most of the meeting, finally spoke up.

"I've noticed it too.

Some of them can't even control their own spells anymore.

It's like the energy is warping their magic."

Amy sighed, glancing at the stack of reports in front of her.

"These reports say the same thing. More and more students are being affected.

It's almost like a virus spreading through the academy."

Ariana, barely paying attention, licked her ice pop, seemingly lost in her own world.

Xander raised an eyebrow at her but didn't comment—yet.

Rylan furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

"I have a hunch…" he said slowly, his voice trailing off.

Amy looked up, waiting for him to continue.

Rylan hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"I have a feeling Noah might be involved in all of this."

Before Rylan could finish his thought, both Amy and Ariana shouted at the same time, "No!"

The room fell into stunned silence.

Xander and Rylan stared, completely speechless.

Ariana's eyes were wide, her ice pop frozen halfway to her mouth.

Amy, on the other hand, had an icy calm to her expression, though her voice held a firm edge.

"Noah can't be involved in this," Amy said resolutely.

Rylan blinked, trying to process the sudden outburst.

"Wait, why are you both so sure?"

Ariana quickly shoved the ice pop back in her mouth, clearly not wanting to answer.

Amy, however, took control of the conversation.

"Because if Noah was involved," she began, her tone cool but serious, "it would be his last straw.

The academy has already been watching him closely after… well, you know.

If anything suspicious comes up involving him, they might not even give him a second chance.

He could be banished from the halls.

Expelled from the Ravenwood, even."

Xander crossed his arms, a frown on his face.

"Banishment? Like, kicked out of the dormitories entirely?"

Amy nodded, her expression grim.

"If the academy finds him guilty of being involved in something dangerous like this, yes.

He could end up living in the woods, while still taking up classes or worse, being blacklisted by every magical institution.

He'd have nowhere to go."

Rylan leaned back in his chair, clearly unsettled.

He had his suspicions, but now he was starting to wonder if it was worth digging deeper.

Amy's warning was enough to make him reconsider.

Noah might be a mystery, but throwing him under the bus like that could have serious consequences.

Ariana, meanwhile, was quietly munching on her ice pop, seemingly oblivious to the weight of the conversation.

Xander glanced at her, his eyes narrowing.

"When did you start eating sweets, Ariana?"

Ariana nearly choked on her ice pop, her eyes darting nervously from Xander to Amy and back to Xander.

"Uh… I don't— I mean, I've always liked sweets…"

She stammered, clearly struggling to come up with a believable excuse.

Xander raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"I've never seen you eat anything like that before.

You've always been more of a health freak."

Ariana's face flushed as she scrambled for an excuse.

"Well, it's just… you know… sometimes people change!"

She said, her voice rising slightly in panic.

"And chocolate's good for… um, energy?"

Xander crossed his arms, not buying it for a second.

"You're really bad at lying, Ariana."

Ariana fumbled with the ice pop, clearly flustered.

Deep down, she knew exactly why she had developed a sudden love for sweets.

It was all Noah's fault.

Ever since she'd followed him to that sweets shop, she'd been hooked on chocolate ice cream.

But there was no way she was going to admit that to the others.

Amy watched the exchange with mild amusement before steering the conversation back to their original topic.

"Anyway," she said, cutting through the awkwardness, "we need to focus on this issue with the corrupted students. Xander, any ideas?"

Xander shook his head.

"Not much. It's hard to pin down what's causing the corruption.

It could be an external force, or it could be some kind of curse.

But it's spreading fast, whatever it is."

Rylan, now more cautious about throwing out accusations, spoke up again.

"I think we should start investigating the students who've been affected.

There has to be a common link. Something connecting them."

Amy nodded.

"That's a good idea. We'll need to handle it carefully, though.

If the academy catches wind that we're investigating this on our own, it could cause problems.

They're already on edge."

Ariana, still licking her ice pop, glanced around the room nervously.

She hadn't contributed much to the conversation, but it was clear the seriousness of the situation was starting to sink in.

Xander looked over at her again.

"So, Ariana," he said casually, "what do you think?"

Ariana blinked, clearly not expecting to be put on the spot.

"I think… um, I think we should definitely investigate!" she said, trying to sound confident.

Xander smirked.

"Good answer. Now finish your ice pop before it melts all over the floor."

Ariana glanced down at her half-eaten ice pop, suddenly realizing it was dripping.

"Oh, shoot!" she muttered, quickly stuffing the rest of it into her mouth.