Jin woke before the sun.
He sat up slowly and rolled his shoulders, letting the stiffness settle out of his muscles before he pushed himself to his feet. The school was quiet. The only sounds were the soft wind outside and the distant shuffling of whoever was on the last night watch.
For a moment, he just stood there and took in the stillness.
It had been a long time since he'd woken up like this, before the chaos and the noise. It reminded him of those early mornings back at the station, when Ryu would drag them out of bed before dawn for training. Back then it had felt like a punishment, a cruel routine meant to break them.
Now he understood it.
Jin walked to the nearest window and looked outside. The horizon was painted in deep blue with the first hints of gold, the sky slowly bleeding into the light of a new day. The reinforced gate stood tall at the school's entrance. The watchtowers loomed over the perimeter, and the training grounds sat still and untouched.
