Fighting Valen

Alex stood there, arms folded, voice calm yet cutting as he spoke.

"More talk, no action. Typical. All that noise just to hide the fact that you're nothing more than an incompetent coward from an equally incompetent family."

The words dropped like a stone in a quiet pond. A hush swept over the hallway. The distant chatter of students died out as if the building itself paused to listen.

Valen had already turned his back to leave, confident the conversation was over. But at that insult, at those words, his body stiffened instantly. His shoulders went rigid, and the confident smirk that had been plastered on his face only moments ago vanished in an instant.

Slowly, deliberately, he turned his head to face Alex. His expression no longer bore even a hint of humor. His eyes locked onto Alex, and for the first time in a long while, silence in the academy felt dangerous.