Liam followed Lucia through the academy halls with the same calm silence he usually carried, walking a few steps behind her as they left the library corridor behind and moved toward the administration wing.
The atmosphere changed gradually the farther they went. The relaxed noise of students enjoying their break faded into a quieter, more formal stillness, and the walls became less decorated with student notices and training schedules and more lined with framed academy records, old portraits, and polished sconces that burned with steady magical light.
Lucia did not speak as they walked, and Liam did not ask anything. There was no need. He already knew why he had been summoned, and the fact that Lucia was the one guiding him only confirmed that this was not a casual request.
After a while, they reached the Headmaster's office.
