The common room buzzed with low conversation and the occasional scrape of chair legs against the tile floor. Bulletin boards lined the far wall, newly printed dorm assignments tacked to them in neat, impersonal columns. I hesitated in the doorway, the familiar press of anxiety curling in my gut like a slow, tightening knot.
Kael’s shoulder brushed mine as he stepped inside, calm on the surface but radiating tension beneath. Ryken stood near the board already, reading through the names with an easy grin like this was just another school-day announcement and not a possible threat to everything I’d fought to protect.
"Anything?" Kael asked under his breath as we approached.
Ryken gave a low whistle. "You two lucked out—still together. Room 314. Guess the system favors consistency."
Kael e
