The Magic Department was almost deserted by the time Liam reached it.
Compared to the dining hall's restless noise and the tense quiet of Tactical Espionage, the department felt strangely hollow at that hour. Most of the day's lessons had already ended, and whatever students remained were either leaving late, collecting forgotten materials, or passing through on their way to another part of the academy.
The lamps along the walls had already brightened for evening, casting steady light over polished stone floors and tall archways marked with department sigils. Doors that had been open during lesson hours were now closed. A few students moved in the distance, their voices low and fading quickly through the branching halls. It was not empty enough to feel abandoned, but it was close enough that footsteps carried farther than they should.
Among the few students still there, Lucian Kellor walked calmly down the corridor leading away from the Earth Magic classrooms.
