The dorm room was dead quiet.
Not the comfortable, familiar quiet of early mornings or study evenings, but a profound, echoing silence.
It was hollow, the kind of stillness that fills a space when it's been emptied of life. The soft glow of the moon, filtering through the window, seemed to do little to chase away the heavy darkness clinging to the corners of the room.
Kael sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his thighs, his hands clasped loosely in a pose of forced composure.
He wasn't looking at anything in particular. The floor, the window, the way the pale moonlight traced a slow, dusty arc across his desk—it all blurred together, an indistinct wash of light and shadow. His mind, usually so sharp and focused, felt scattered, a thousand racing thoughts vying for his attention.
He hadn't changed out of his uniform yet.
