CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61:CALL EVERYONE A FOOL

After the handsome, middle-aged Fae told them to go in, he turned and walked back into the hall, leaving the heavy double doors open behind him. Aiden’s chest tightened, but he forced himself to step forward first, his shoes echoing softly against the polished floor. Zane followed behind him lazily, then Carl, who moved a little too stiffly as though bracing himself for something unpleasant, and finally Ryker, whose expression remained unreadable.

As soon as Aiden crossed the threshold, his eyes widened slightly. The disciplinary hall was even more imposing than he had imagined. At the center of the room was a massive round table, so large it dominated the space. The table was surrounded by high-backed chairs, but there was a clear gap directly in front of where Aiden and the others now stood — no chairs were placed there, leaving the section open so the committee members could have a clear, unobstructed view of the students standing before them.

The air felt heavy, charged with authority, and Aiden became acutely aware of every pair of eyes fixed on them. It was as though the entire weight of the school’s judgment sat behind those gazes. His first instinct was to lower his head, but as he stood there, he realized he was not nearly as anxious as he had been earlier this morning. Perhaps it was because Ryker was here too, or perhaps it was the strange comfort of knowing he was not standing here alone.

Taking a steadying breath, Aiden lifted his head. If they were going to stare at him, then he would meet their eyes.

He let his gaze sweep across the table, silently counting the faces. There were eight people seated around the table. To his relief, he recognized five of them immediately: Miss Flecine, the head instructor of the witches, who sat with her usual calm but watchful expression; Mr. Bertain, the Fae head instructor, his elegant features serene; Mr. Gareth, the formidable head instructor of the wolves, who looked as though he could crush boulders with his bare hands; Mr. John, his wolf class teacher, seated stiffly with his arms folded; and finally, the middle-aged Fae who had opened the doors for them just moments ago.

That left three people Aiden did not recognize. Two of them were women, both strikingly beautiful and looking only a handful of years older than him. The third was a man sitting at the very center of the round table, his posture straight and commanding. The placement alone told Aiden everything — this man was clearly important.

For a moment, silence reigned. The atmosphere was thick enough to make even the air feel heavier. Then the man at the center finally spoke, his voice calm and resonant.

"I am Nikolai, head of the school disciplinary committee," he said, his sharp eyes sweeping over them. "You may all call me Mr. Nikolai. I know some of you are familiar with me already, but I am introducing myself for those who are not."

Aiden nodded faintly, committing the name to memory.

One by one, the remaining committee members introduced themselves as well. Aiden finally learned that the two beautiful women were named Elara and Naya. Their names suited them — graceful and sharp at the same time.

Once the introductions were complete, Mr. Nikolai turned his attention back to the four standing before him. "The reason you have been summoned here," he began, "is because you broke one of Skyline Academy’s most important rules — you caused harm to one another beyond what is permitted. Before I pass judgment, does anyone wish to defend themselves?"

Aiden’s gaze flicked to the others. Ryker stood calmly, looking as though he could not care less about the entire ordeal. Zane leaned back slightly, smirking as though this were all entertainment to him. Carl, however, was visibly uneasy, fidgeting with his fingers and refusing to stand still.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Carl finally spoke. "Sir," he said, his voice carrying a nervous edge, "I want to defend myself."

"Go on," Mr. Nikolai said, giving him permission with a small nod.

Carl straightened slightly, as if gathering courage, and then said, "I didn’t break any school rules. I was just a victim — one who got his head bashed in. You can’t punish me because I didn’t do anything."

Aiden’s eyes rolled almost on instinct before he caught himself and stopped.

Carl, either not noticing or pretending not to, continued. "I swear I’m telling the truth. You can ask Mr. John. Aiden was the one who suggested the spar. He was the one doing all the hitting. I didn’t even touch him once."

Mr. Nikolai turned to Mr. John. "Is what Carl says true?"

Mr. John nodded. "Yes, it is true."

Mr. Nikolai’s sharp gaze swung back to Aiden. "Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Aiden straightened his shoulders and nodded. "Of course I do. It’s true that I asked for the fight, and yes, Carl didn’t get to hit me even once. But the reason he didn’t hit me is not because he was holding back or because he was thinking of the school rules. He didn’t hit me because he was not skilled enough. If I hadn’t been able to defend myself and disarm him before he harmed me, I would be the one lying in the infirmary bed right now, unable to stand here. Everyone knows I’m just a normal human with no powers. I can’t magically heal myself the way he can."

Carl glared at him, but when Aiden met his gaze with a cold, steady look, Carl flinched and looked away. Even so, he still spoke. "But you’re the one who asked for the fight for no reason," Carl said bitterly. "You even made Mr. John the referee. If I had hurt you, it would have been because you asked for it. You’re the one who ignored the rules and convinced a teacher to officiate a fight on purpose. That’s why I am humbly requesting that Mr. Nikolai expel Aiden from Skyline Academy."

The committee room went quiet.

Mr. Nikolai tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Aiden," he said, "do you have anything further to say — perhaps a motive for challenging him to this fight?"

Aiden rolled his eyes slightly at the thought of being expelled. He knew there was no way the school would go that far, no matter how hard Carl begged for it. Carl was putting far too much importance on himself if he thought Aiden would be expelled over him.

Still, Aiden refused to stay silent and let Carl make it seem as though he had been picking fights for fun. He lifted his chin and said, "Sir, I didn’t ask for the fight for no reason. Two days ago, a day before the fight, Mr. John put us through a training exercise where we had to use our noses to track bloodied bandages. At first, I didn’t participate because, as you all know, I don’t have a wolf and I don’t have an enhanced sense of smell. But my classmates kept insisting it was unfair for me not to participate. So I asked Mr. John to let me join in, and he agreed.

"During the training, I actually managed to find two bandages — purely through luck. After I found the second bandage, I ran into Carl. I told him I found it first, but he looked down on me and told me to drop it. When I refused, he choked me so hard I nearly passed out — and he almost killed my pet too. I honestly thought I was about to die. He only let me go after I dropped the bandage, and then he told me that the reason he could do that to me was because I had no powers. He made it clear that I should just listen to him from now on or suffer for it, which obviously meant he planned to keep bullying me in the future."

"Lies!" Carl shouted suddenly, his voice cracking. "Mr. Nikolai, it’s all lies! Don’t listen to him!"

Aiden ignored the outburst and continued calmly, "I have witnesses — three, in fact. Mr. John watched it all through the magical mirror he used to monitor the students’ progress during the exercise. And both Ryker and Miss Flecine saw the marks on my neck afterwards."

Mr. Nikolai turned to the three people Aiden had named. "Is this true?"

Ryker spoke first, his tone flat and nonchalant. "Yes."

Miss Flecine nodded. "I can confirm that I saw the injuries."

Finally, Mr. John said, "Yes, I saw everything through the mirror, and I punished Carl for it later. Aiden wasn’t present when I carried out the punishment, because he had already left the class crying."

Carl’s face darkened. "Mr. John only saw the actions," he argued heatedly. "The mirror doesn’t record audio, so he couldn’t hear what was said between me and Aiden. How can he just assume that everything Aiden says is true? I didn’t tell him to drop the bandage. Aiden provoked me first — that’s why I lost control. And I didn’t choke him for long; I stopped as soon as I realized I was wrong. But Mr. John has always been biased toward Aiden. He’ll agree with anything Aiden says."

Aiden gave a short, incredulous laugh. "Did you just call everyone in this room a fool?" he asked with a sharp edge to his voice. "Because that’s what it sounds like. You’re basically saying we’re all too stupid."

Carl’s fear seemed to vanish under the weight of his anger. He jabbed a finger toward Aiden, his voice rising. "When did I ever call everyone stupid? Stop lying right in front of everyone!"