"Spatial Shift."
The dormitory dissolved without distortion, the spatial frame folding cleanly around him, and in the next breath the air changed. Warmer. Richer. Familiar.
Noel reappeared inside his bedroom in the Estermont mansion, boots settling softly against polished marble veined in pale gold. The ceiling arched high above him, detailed with restrained noble ornamentation rather than excess. Tall windows let afternoon light spill across dark wood furnishings and deep-toned carpets, the atmosphere composed and quiet in a way the academy never quite was.
He stood still for a moment, letting the transition settle through his core. No misalignment. No drift. The spell obeyed him perfectly now.
Five months ago, he would have needed to focus.
Now it was instinct.
His gaze moved slowly across the room. This was not a temporary space. Not a borrowed one. It was part of something larger—of a household built to endure.
He had returned to say goodbye.
