Isabella's expression shifted rapidly, cycling through a dozen emotions in a matter of seconds. The man watching her seemed amused for a moment, then casually glanced away and lifted his left wrist to check the time.
It had been nearly a year since he last visited this university—one of the many institutions owned by his family. He certainly hadn't expected to stumble upon such an entertaining little "surprise" today. But he had somewhere to be, so he lost interest in Isabella and turned instead to Ava, extending a friendly hand.
"Hi, I'm Ethan. If that lady over there—who apparently has a fondness for slapping people—tries to cause you trouble over what happened this morning, feel free to come to me."
And that's when it clicked for Ava.
She finally remembered why the word Arcane had sounded so familiar. Someone had just mentioned it to her recently...
