I barely had time to shake the snow from my boots before I felt it—the weight of eyes on me, heavy and unyielding. My chest tightened, my stomach twisting as I froze mid-step. Fen and Aurelis stood at the edge of the training courtyard, their figures stark against the pale stone, unmoving. The air around them thrummed faintly, and I could feel it—residual traces of magic, sharp and metallic, still clinging to them like morning frost on stone.
“Where… where have you been?” Fen’s voice cut through the quiet, calm and controlled, but there was a hard edge beneath it that made my stomach churn.
I swallowed, trying to steady the fluttering panic in my chest. “I… I took the day to rest, like you said,” I said, my words trembling despite my attempt at composure. My hands flexed at my sides, fin
