Aeron and Livia soon reached the academy's main gate. Just outside, a figure in a pink hooded robe paced anxiously, their hands clutching a small, folded parchment so tightly it threatened to tear.
Aeron's inward frown deepened as they passed through the gate.
"You called for me?" he asked, his voice cutting through the woman's nervous energy.
The figure jolted to a stop and spun around, pushing back her hood. She was a young woman, perhaps in her late twenties, with features that tugged at a vague, distant memory in Aeron's mind. He couldn't place her, but the sense of familiarity was undeniable.
"Young Master Aeron!" Her eyes, wide and slightly frantic, lit up with a mixture of relief and fear. "I finally found you."
Aeron's gaze was sharp, analytical. "Do I know you?"
The question was a dual probe. 'Do I know you?' and 'How do you know me?'
The woman gave a hurried nod, her eyes darting left and right, scanning the surroundings as if expecting watchers in the shadows.
