(Opening Scene: Xander listens intently as Astrid begins to recount the tumultuous events that unfolded in her chambers, his keen blue eyes occasionally flicking towards the other players in the drama.)
Astrid began her explanation, addressing Xander directly, her voice steady as she recounted the initial accidental merging of her and Zane's powers in Headmaster Theron's office, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she described the unexpected intimacy of their intertwined magic. She then detailed the arrival of Lady Elara and Prince Lysander, their disapproval, and the subsequent tense conversation.
She moved on to the second, more potent combining of their powers in the headmaster's office, the defiance she felt towards her aunt's commands, and the escalating magical feedback. Her blush deepened as she described the unexpected kiss that had broken the connection, a fleeting moment of shared intensity that still lingered in her memory.
Astrid then explained the forced separation imposed by Headmaster Theron, her subsequent isolation, and the surprising arrival of Eclipse in her chambers, a silent reassurance from Zane. She recounted Lysander's unwelcome advances, Eclipse's protective intervention and the prince's incapacitation.
Finally, she described Lady Elara's attempt to contain Eclipse, the familiar's lethal defense resulting in the guard's death, Zane's sudden arrival via void walk, and the tense standoff that followed.
As Astrid spoke, Zane, sensing the shift in the dynamic with Xander's arrival and Astrid's calm explanation, willed the Null Blade to dissipate, the obsidian weapon vanishing back into the void from whence it came. The tension in his stance eased slightly.
By the time Astrid concluded her detailed account, the emotional and magical energy in the air seemed to have drained. Whether from exhaustion, the weight of the revelations, or the unexpected arrival of Xander, everyone present – Lady Elara, Prince Lysander, and the remaining Montaigne guards – had slowly sunk to the ground, either sitting or leaning against the cool academy stone, a picture of weary bewilderment.
Xander listened intently throughout Astrid's explanation, his expression shifting from concern to surprise, then to a thoughtful understanding. He looked at Zane, then at the unconscious form of his aunt's guard, and finally back to his sister, a silent acknowledgment of the complex and dangerous situation.