On Professor Hobb's floor, the space felt wide and almost solemn. The ceilings were higher here, and tall windows lined the classroom walls. Alina walked toward one of them and peered inside. Professor Hobb noticed her immediately and offered her a gentle, reassuring smile.
She smiled back but didn't step inside. The atmosphere was intense, charged with something deeper than written exams. Whatever lesson was happening involved elemental focus, and the children inside sat unnaturally still, energy radiating faintly around them. Alina didn't want to interrupt. She simply nodded to Professor Hobb in greeting and quietly stepped away.
As she walked back down the corridor, Dante's words surfaced in her mind again.
Anyone can awaken their power.
The thought followed her all the way back to the staffroom.
