The cold stone wall pressed against Rian’s back as she ducked into one of the less traveled corridors flanking the courtyard. Her breath still caught in her throat, shallow and uneven, even as the distant voices of her taunters faded into nothing. The ranking board, the bruises, the sneers—they still clung to her like a second skin. She needed distance. Silence.
This part of the Academy felt older, the stone walls darker, the light dimmer. Ivy curled around the high windows, and the scent of aged parchment and dust hung in the air. It was the kind of place others ignored—a tucked-away wing once used for auxiliary classes, maybe. Forgotten, quiet.
Rian let herself exhale fully for the first time since the confrontation. Her shoulders sagged slightly, the ache from combat class making itse
