The dining hall never truly recovered after Zane Blackwood walked in.
Conversation returned eventually, but softer now and they felt a bit more careful as opposed to the chatter before. Students glanced toward the entrance more than their own plates. Even laughter seemed restrained, as though the room itself had straightened its spine.
Zane ignored all of it.
He moved through the hall with quiet purpose, black coat brushing against the stone floor, hands tucked into his pockets like he had no interest in the dozens of eyes tracking him. No academy crest marked his clothes. No name tag. Nothing.
And somehow, that made him stand out more.
Lilith hated that she noticed. She tore her gaze away and reached for her drink just as Mira leaned forward across the table. “So, I am guessing, ther
