NEXT DAY...
By dawn, the soft warmth of night had faded, leaving only the cool morning light spilling across the chamber. Selene's breathing was even, her head still near his shoulder, as though unwilling to break the closeness of the night before. Eran slipped from the bed quietly, his system still faintly humming its previous notification in the back of his mind, as if mocking him.
By the time the sun had fully climbed, the academy was alive with movement. Students gathered in neat rows across the grand hall for the long-anticipated conference. The Dire's speech was not one to be taken lightly, it was the kind that set the rhythm for the academy's next cycle, and no one dared to make light of it.
