The morning sun hit the campus of the Sirocco Institute of Medical Sciences with the kind of clinical, uncompromising brightness that made every surface seem slightly more sterile than it had the day before. Ren and Fang arrived early, their steps echoing in the pristine, polished hallways that were just beginning to fill with the murmur of students. The atmosphere was a strange blend of high-end university prestige and the restless energy of a hospital that was far busier than a new establishment had any right to be.
Ren adjusted his coat, feeling the weight of the day ahead. He could see the students clustering near the entrance of the main lecture theatre, their voices hushed, their postures stiff with the weight of expectation. Many of them were clearly nervous, clutching their heavy textbooks as if they were shields against the rigour of the coming curriculum.
