The Confrontation

Lucien woke up groggily, his vision blurry and his head pounding. As his eyes adjusted, he realized he was no longer in the headmaster's office. The room was dimly lit, cold, and unfamiliar. He tried to move, but his wrists were shackled to the arms of a wooden chair.

[Well, well, Sleeping Beauty awakens!] the system chirped cheerfully.

"Not now," Lucien grumbled, his voice hoarse. "Where the hell am I?"

[That's the million-gold question, isn't it? Let's see—dark room, shackles, ominous silence—yep, classic villain interrogation vibes!]

Before Lucien could respond, the heavy wooden door creaked open. A figure stepped into the room—Leon Albright. His sharp eyes glinted with fury as he crossed his arms and stared down at Lucien.

"Finally awake, are we?" Leon's voice was ice.

Lucien swallowed. "I… uh… what's going on?"

"As if you don't know," Cecilia's voice cut through the room as she entered behind Leon, her arms crossed and her face twisted with contempt.

Lucien's heart sank. This was not good.

[Oh boy! This is getting spicy!] the system added, far too enthusiastically.

"Your magic set the entire academy on the brink of destruction," Leon said coldly. "If the headmaster hadn't contained it, who knows how many would have been hurt."

"Wait, what?" Lucien's eyes widened. "But nothing was damaged—"

"Because of sheer luck and intervention," Cecilia snapped. "Do you think that excuses your reckless behavior?"

"I— I didn't even know I had that much mana!" Lucien protested.

[Well, you did collapse dramatically. It was very anime of you.]

Lucien ignored the system. "Listen, I swear I didn't mean to—"

"Enough," Leon cut him off. "The headmaster has given me permission to deal with you personally." He unsheathed his sword with a slow, menacing sound. "Give me one good reason not to end you right now."

Lucien's mind raced. He needed a plan—and fast.

[No pressure, but if you die here, it's game over. Literally.]