'Doesn't really look like much,' Theo thought as he pushed inside the building, fully expecting to see an entire crowd of people, all lying in wait to spring up a trap and bury him under a mountain of written accusations.
That, at the very least, was the one scenario Theo managed to imagine that could make things slightly problematic.
By not giving him any reason to retaliate with outright abuse of the process and blocking him from responding to any of his alleged crimes by simply dropping more on his head than he could humanly address, the academy could put Theo on the spot.
A spot he could still get out from in more ways than just one, but a spot that would force Theo to make some heavy, long-reaching choices.
The reality, however, turned out to be so simple, so… ordinary, it was outright disappointing.
The insides of the tower's ground floor consisted of bare walls, a humble reception counter, and a huge, spiral staircase rising up to the higher floors.
