Chapter 184.4 - Understanding

"Something captured Senior Maya at that time, didn't it? And you went to save her." 

Astron's gaze didn't waver, but his silence spoke volumes. It was an answer in itself, one that confirmed her suspicions. 

Sylvie leaned forward slightly, her voice growing firmer as she pressed on. "But why didn't you inform the authorities? Surely… surely the city wouldn't just let a genius senior like Maya disappear without doing something. They would've searched for her. They would've—" 

Astron raised a hand, a quiet yet commanding gesture that silenced her mid-sentence. His gaze softened slightly, but his voice carried a weight that silenced any further protests. "Do you think they would've believed me?" he asked, his tone calm but edged with something deeper—something almost bitter. "A first-year student claiming that a senior had been taken by something. Without evidence?"