The academy's study hall had already begun to quiet down as the evening slowly settled across the campus.
Tall arched windows lined the walls, allowing the fading orange light of sunset to spill across the long wooden tables arranged neatly throughout the vast room. Dust particles drifted lazily in the air where the golden light touched them, while rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stood silently like guardians of centuries of knowledge.
Most of the students who had been studying earlier had already left, either heading toward the dining halls or returning to their dormitories for the night. Only a handful remained scattered around the room, their low whispers occasionally breaking the otherwise peaceful silence.
At one of the tables near the far window sat Luca and Sylthara, surrounded by open books, loose parchment notes, and several thick volumes on academy theory that had clearly been used heavily over the past five days.
