The morning air was cool against his face as Sei pushed open the window. A faint breeze brushed past him, carrying with it the lingering scent of damp earth and fresh grass. The storm from the night before hadn't fully washed away. Puffs of dark clouds still drifted slowly across the sky, remnants of the chaos, clinging stubbornly to the horizon.
The academy grounds were silent, the soft chirping of birds just beginning to pierce the stillness. The sun had yet to rise fully over the outer walls, and the academy bell hadn't rung. This was the quiet space between night and day—when everything held its breath.
Sei inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. It was calm. The kind of calm that always felt temporary. Within the calm he heard some voices.
Faint, distant, but unmistakably from the direction of the main gate.
