The academy halls were quieter than usual, but not empty.
Aegis passed a few students as she made her way through the corridors—some who had nowhere else to go for summer break, others who preferred the academy's resources over whatever waited at home.
[Smart. No family drama, access to training grounds, plus the library's still open.]
She checked the common room. Empty. Peeked into one of the lecture halls. Nothing but dust motes floating in the sunlight.
She wasn't looking for just anyone, though. She had someone specific in mind.
Kanna Greaves. Grey-haired, stoic, and built like someone had taken "warrior woman" as a character creation prompt and maxed out every physical stat. The woman who'd beaten Scarlett in the Winter Trials without breaking a sweat.
[If I'm building a house worth a damn, I need fighters. Real ones. And Kanna's as real as they come.]
She found her in Commander Korvo's training courtyard, alone.
