AUTHOR POV
The night air was cool, and soothing. Everywhere in the academy was eerily quiet. You could hear the drop of a pin.
Mara moved through the dark corridors like a ghost who had learned long ago how to disappear. Her footsteps were light, almost silent, barely disturbing the heavy silence that filled the sleeping academy. She had waited until Crystal had finally fallen asleep, then slipped out of the room stealthily.
The air outside hit her immediately colder than she expected, carrying the scent of rain that hadn't fallen yet. She pulled her dark hoodie tighter around her body, the hood casting deep shadows over her face as she hurried toward the old, abandoned training hall at the far edge of the grounds. That place was forgotten by most students now.
She wasn't sca
