Aria's POV
The deeper we walked into the forest, the quieter the world became.
The sounds of the training grounds faded behind us.
The whispers.
The stares.
The judgment.
Everything disappeared.
Leaving only Damien and me.
Which should have made me nervous.
Instead, it made me feel strangely calm.
The path beneath our feet wound between towering pines and ancient oak trees.
Sunlight filtered through the branches overhead, painting golden patterns across the ground.
For several minutes neither of us spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It never seemed to be with him.
That alone should have worried me.
"You handled Ethan well."
I glanced at Damien.
His eyes remained fixed on the path ahead.
"I wasn't aware I was being graded."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
That tiny al
