The academy was far larger than Catalina had realized.
She and Rosalind followed a wide stone path that wound between towering buildings, each one different from the last. Some rose in elegant white stone wrapped in flowering vines. Others were built from dark granite, their windows glowing warmly against the afternoon sky. Bridges stretched between towers high overhead, while students crossed courtyards below, their conversations blending into a comfortable hum that made the academy feel alive.
Catalina turned slowly, trying to take everything in.
"How many buildings are there?"
Rosalind glanced toward the sprawling campus.
"Hundreds."
Catalina blinked.
"Hundreds?"
"This academy has existed for nearly a thousand years. It wasn't built all at once."
She pointed toward a cluster of
