The late afternoon sun draped the academy grounds in warm gold, a quiet glow settling over the stone walkways and trimmed fields like a soft blanket. Arios hadn't realized how much he missed this particular hour of the day—when most classes had concluded and the world settled into a slower rhythm, neither rushing forward nor pulling anyone along with it. Just… breathing. Existing.
Lucy walked a step to his right, arms behind her back, her ponytail bouncing lightly with each step. On his left, Liza dragged a wooden skewer of candied fruit through the air like a wand, occasionally pointing at birds as though declaring them guilty of crimes only she understood.
This was normal. And normal was rare at Ironsong Academy.
"Do you think," Liza said as she took a triumphant bite of her fruit, "that the cafeteria auntie is using magic? Because there is no way food tastes that good without some kind of sorcery."
Lucy sighed. "Not everything delicious is a crime, Liza."
